This is a history of the foundational war in the Arab -Israeli conflict. This account focusses on the military as well as the political aspect of the conflict. Morris bases this analyses on newly opened Israeli and Western documention of the war. The Arab side, where the archives are closed, is illuminated with the help of intelligence and diplomatic materials. The book focuses on the roles of Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union in shaping the conflict and its tentative termination in 1949. x